Chicago Public Schools has, according to a conservative legal group, agreed to bring the Moody Bible Institute into its student-teaching pipeline after facing a federal lawsuit. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) said Thursday that district officials tweaked the student-teacher internship paperwork so Moody can participate without changing the college’s religious hiring rules. If CPS follows through, Moody’s elementary-education majors would be able to complete the full semester of student teaching they need to graduate and qualify for Illinois teaching licenses.
In a press release, Alliance Defending Freedom said the parties reached a settlement that allowed Moody to sign the district’s internship agreement and join Chicago’s Pre-Service Teaching program. ADF said CPS modified the agreement to acknowledge Moody’s right to hire only like-minded staff and faculty, and that the group then filed a stipulated dismissal of the federal case. In ADF’s telling, the result is a win for the college’s constitutional protections.
The legal fight began in November 2025, when Moody sued the Chicago Board of Education. The complaint claimed CPS had conditioned participation in the Pre-Service Teaching program on contract language that would effectively force Moody to drop its faith-based hiring practices. The case was assigned No. 1:25-cv-13500 and included claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Court filings listed the complaint, supporting exhibits, and motions from both sides. The full docket is available on Justia.
Moody's program and state approval
Moody, which traces its roots to the 19th century, operates a campus in downtown Chicago and details its history and academic offerings on its website. Local reporting notes that the Illinois State Board of Education signed off on Moody’s elementary-education degree program in January 2024, clearing the college to place would-be teachers in classroom internships tied to state licensure. Background on the institution can be found at the Moody Bible Institute site and in coverage from WBBM.
District response and what's confirmed
So far, CPS has not publicly confirmed the settlement described by ADF. When the dispute first surfaced, the district told reporters it would not comment on pending litigation and said it "remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its students," according to earlier coverage. As the story developed, Fox News reported that CPS did not issue an updated statement in response to ADF’s latest claims.
Legal implications
Moody’s complaint argued that tying access to the district’s program to broad nondiscrimination provisions violated the First Amendment and Illinois religious-freedom protections, and the college asked a federal judge for injunctive relief. Court records show the case moved forward on the Northern District of Illinois docket, and ADF says the settlement led to a stipulated dismissal after CPS revised its internship agreement. For the parties’ account of that sequence, see the release from Alliance Defending Freedom.
What happens next is mostly about logistics. Observers will be watching to see if Moody appears on CPS’s official list of approved university partners and whether the district starts scheduling student-teacher placements from the college’s elementary program. If Moody shows up on that list and placements begin, it would mark the practical end of a months-long fight over how Chicago’s school system works with faith-based teacher-training programs.
